The innovation of regular oral checking for students at tran mai ninh secodary school

INTRODUCTION 1.1 Reasons for choosing the topic In the process of teaching, testing and assessment of students' learningoutcomes is an important stage to determine the academic achievem

THANH HOA DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION AND TRAINING

THE EDUCATION AND TRAINING CENTER

OF THANH HOA CITY

INITIATIVE

THE INNOVATION OF REGULAR ORAL CHECKING FOR

GRADE 6 STUDENTS AT SECONDARY SCHOOL

1.1 Reasons for choosing the topic 2

2.3.2 The tasks, objects and time for research 8

1 INTRODUCTION

1.1 Reasons for choosing the topic

In the process of teaching, testing and assessment of students' learningoutcomes is an important stage to determine the academic achievement as well

as knowledge and skills that students accomplish

For students, the central character of the teaching process, testing andassessment have the role to promote the learning process for continuousdevelopment Through test results, students can self assess their own gain inorder to review themselves, consolidate and supplement to complete the system

of education with the operation of their own thinking

For teachers, test results and assessment helps each teacher self evaluatetheir teaching process Thereby, they can constantly improve and perfect theirprofessional qualifications and teaching methods

1.2 Aims of the research

Results of assessment also helps education managers have grounded basis

to build a team of qualified teachers, develop the new directions for the content,methods and forms of educational institutions in accordance with thecharacteristics of their schools

1.3 Scope and research methodology

Along with innovative textbooks and teaching methods, the innovation ofassessment stage is very important in the process of teaching and learning ingeneral, as well as the process of teaching and learning English in particular.Innovative teaching methods and assessment are two activities that are closelyrelated to each other Innovation of testing and assessment is the dynamics ofinnovative teaching methods, contributing to the objectives of education andtraining Innovating assessment includes many stages, contents, steps in whichthe regular check by eliciting students is very important because this is a routineoperation taking place continuously This kind of assessment is an importantactivity because it takes place not only at the beginning of each lesson but alsooccurs throughout a lesson If teachers neglect to check students regularly, theprocess of students’ achieving knowledge may be interrupted, leading to theshortage of needed the knowledge and skills for each lesson This will affect theresults of the periodical tests In fact the oral check in English class today isinadequate due to the pressure of knowledge and skills needed to transmit andacquire in each lesson so the time spent for checking students orally is verylittle, maybe or even ignored Besides, the majority of students are passive,which means that they are familiar with rote learning to cope Even some ofthem lack of basis knowledge and they are lazy in studying previous lessons.Accordingly, I am concerned and boldly propose the teaching initiative

"Innovating the method of oral check for students in English lessons" to helpchildren learn proactively, perceive knowledge and skills in an exciting andcomfortable way as well as create a lively atmosphere in English lessons

2 MAIN CONTENT

2.1 Theoretical background

In the present case, teaching does not involve what to teach but also how

to teach Innovating teaching method is an urgent requirement to improve thequality of teaching Innovating teaching methods requires synchronic changefrom textbooks, teaching methods to testing and assessment of learningoutcomes Testing and assessment have an important role to play, directlyimpacting on improving the quality of training Teaching and learning shouldalways have the feedback to adjust timely for creating the highest efficiencywhich is best reflected through the quality of students’ learning Regular checkoften helps teachers adjust and supplement the knowledge, skills, attitudeproposed in different subjects, which enables students to form the suitablemotivation, learning attitude to accumulate necessary knowledge and skills

The results of testing and assessment are the basis for adjusting teachingactivities, learning activities and educational management The false results oftesting and assessment lead to false statements about the quality of training,which causes great harm in the use of human resources Therefore, innovatingtesting and assessment becomes urgent needs of education and society today.Precise, realistic objectives testing and assessment results will help learnersbecome confident and enthusiastic, which develops their innovative capacity inlearning Therefore, in order to implement the process of testing and assessmenteffectively in different subjects in general and English in general, every teacherneeds to understand and grasp some knowledge related to process of testing andassessment

2.2 Practical background

a Testing

In the Vietnamese Great Dictionary, Nguyen Nhu Y defines testing asreal and actual consideration According to Buu Ke, testing is the scrutiny,review of work, consideration of the actual situation to assess and comment.Meanwhile, Tran Ba Hoanh states that testing provides facts and information as

a basis for the evaluation

To conclude, scientists and educators agree that testing is to collect dataand evidence, examine and review the actual work to evaluate and comment

b Assessment

Assessment is the process of forming judgments, judgments about theresults of the analysis based on the information collected, collated with theobjectives and criteria set out, in order to propose appropriate decisions toimprove the situation, further enhanced the quality and efficiency of work Assessment in education, according to Duong Thieu Tong is the process ofcollecting and processing time, systematic information on the status andeffectiveness of education Considered the learning goals as the basis for thepolicy, measures and actions in the next education are put forward It can be said

that the assessment is the process of collecting analyze and interpret information

in a systematic way to determine the reach of the educational targets to thestudents Evaluation can be done by means of quantitative or qualitativemethods

In summary, assessment is making the judgmental conclusions aboutstudent performance In order to assess the learning outcomes of students, thefirst step is to check and review the entire their learning process, then proceed tocollect measurement information needed, and finally make a decision Thereforetesting and assessment of students’ learning are two stages closely related toeach other Testing is aimed to provide information to evaluate and assessment

is carried out through the results of the test Two stages are combined into theunified process named testing - assessment

* The forms of testing & assessment in the teaching process

+ The forms of testing

In the teaching process, there are four forms of the following tests:

- Regular oral check

- 15 – minute test

- 45 – minute test

- End- of- the- semester test

+ The forms of assessment

In the teaching process, there are three main forms of assessment asbelow:

- Diagnostic assessment: Conducted before teaching a program or an importantissue, which helps teachers understand the situation of the relevant knowledgewith students, which knowledge students masters and lack to decide how toteach appropriately

- Sectional assessment: Conducted many times in order to provide feedback toteachers and students timely to adjust teaching and learning ways, commentingpartial results to implement the schedule suitably

- Conclusive assessment and decision making: Conducted at the end of courseswith exams to assess the overall study results and compare them with thosegoals, then decide specific measures to teach and help students

* The pedagogical requirements to be complied with when assessing learningoutcomes of students

In assessment, it is necessary to comply with the following requirements:

- Assessment must come from learning goals

- Assessment tools must ensure a certain degree of accuracy

- Assessment must be objective and comprehensive, systematical andtransparent

- Assessment must ensure the convenience of using assessment tools

- The principles for assessing learning outcomes of students

The assessment of learning outcomes should be based on the followingprinciples:

- Evaluation is the process implemented systematically to determine the scope ofthe achieved goals Hence, it is critical to clarify the assessment objectives.

- When assessing, the goals are clearly identified and expressed in forms thatcan be observed

- Teachers should be aware of the limitations of each assessment tool to usethem effectively

- When assessing, teachers should be aware that assessment is a means to move

to an end, but itself is not the purpose The aim of assessment is the right andoptimal optimal for the teaching process

- Assessment always goes with the student's learning, that is first to payattention to the learning of students Then a new stimulus efforts of studentlearning, finally evaluated by the score

- Assessment is always accompanied with students’ learning, which meansteachers should care about their learning process, then motivate their efforts andfinally assess with marks

- Assessment should have remarks for students to recognize their mistakes aboutknowledge, skills and methods, which help student research and exchangeknowledge

- Through the mistakes of students, teachers need to learn from experience todetect errors in the process of teaching and assessment in order to innovate theirteaching method

- Assessment should use a variety of methods and different forms in order toincrease the reliability and accuracy

- Motivate and encourage students to participate in the evaluation process

- Teachers must notify the types of questions for assessment to help studentsorient the answers

- It is essential to base on teaching methods to consider the results of an answer

of a test, combined with diagnostic functions or pedagogical decisions

- In qualitative questions, teachers ask students to explain in words to determinethe awareness of students

- Method and manner of assessment must take place in comfortable situation,students feel voluntary, without worry or fear

- Do not ask questions that teachers themselves cannot be answered withcertainty

- Basis for evaluating learning outcomes of students

The assessment of students’ learning outcomes should be based on the followingbasis:

- Aims of the subject

- Objectives of the subject

- The relationship between the aims, learning objectives and assessment oflearning outcomes

The aims of the subject, learning objectives and assessment of learningoutcomes have close relationships with each other If the aims of the subject and

learning purposes are determined correctly, they support each other in theassessment and meet the requirements set by the assessment of students’learning outcomes the aims of the subject and learning purposes are the basisfor determining the schedule, methods and processes of teaching and learning.

At the same time, it provides a basis for selecting the method and process forevaluating students’ learning outcomes Assessing learning outcomes based onaims of teaching will receive accurate feedback to complement and complete theeducational process

* The process of assessing learning outcomes

- Teaching aims and learning objectives are based on to determine theassessment objectives:

- Quantifying the teaching aims to set out the required level of knowledge,skills, attitude in order to determine the content and assessment criteria;

- Selecting the assessment methods in line with the objectives and contents onthe basis of the characteristics of the measured object in social circumstances;

- Drafting tools: Write questions, problems based on the aims and contentsneeded to evaluate;

- Sort questions, exercises from easy to difficult levels, pay attention to theequivalence of the problem (if there are multiple threads) and review theanswers;

- Carry out measurements;

- Analyze the results, evaluate the reliability and validity of the test;

- Adjust and supplements to improve assessment tools of the exams Assessment

in education is a very complex issue and difficult because many factors areinvolve in this process Therefore, to accurately assess a student, a class, or acourse, the first thing the teacher has to do is build process, choose a method aswell as collect the information needed for the evaluation Thus, the evaluationprocess may include four steps: measurement, quantification, assessment anddecision making

2.3 Solutions and methods for implementation

With detailed understanding of the theoretical basis of the assessmentprocess, I have been actively observed and learned from teachers and students in

my school as well as the other schools in Thanh Hoa city to be more aware ofthe real status of the assessment in English today at the junior schools

The reality shows that there are many difficulties from the students Thefirst one is due to the features of English subject, which is seen as a difficultsubject which requires students to remember a lot Moreover, a large number ofstudents do not have the firm knowledge from the primary school, while theEnglish program at junior schools follows that of elementary This affects theattitude, passion and quality of learning outcomes in this subject and leads to thelow motivation To cope with their teachers, students use a reference booknamed "Guide to learn English well” without hard work and practicingvocabulary skills, and reviewing previous lessons at home

From the teachers, there have exists many reasons that the regular oralcheck in the class usually does not promote its role and significance in theteaching process in general and the assessment in particular Many teachers stillconsider this form of assessment as the unimportant method and the finalpurpose is to get enough points Some teachers still perform regular oral check

in the traditional way, they often call one or two students to answer questions onthe board It just takes a lot of time while causing psychological stress forstudents without checking many students at the same time Therefore, it isdifficult to assess the ability of students Some teachers arbitrarily raisequestions Meanwhile others repeat only one requirement when checkingstudents There are even some teachers who seem to ignore the regular oralcheck in the class

All these factors make students lazy, passive in learning, leading to thelow quality of teaching and learning results

Aware of this situation, I did take the time to learn, study and concern tofind new ways of regular oral check in the English lesson, creating significantchanges in the evaluation of students, promoting the teaching of English in apositive direction, thereby improving the quality of education in my school

2.3.1 Solutions

Regular oral check the first and basic form in four types of the process oftesting - assessment Regular oral check provides the primary but regular basisfor testing - assessment process In English subject, regular oral check serves aspecial role The renovation of the oral check at the class not only createsstimulating learning environment but also helps students avoid rote learning,passive learning, thereby promoting a positive, proactive creativity of studentsand providing high effectiveness in teaching and learning

To optimize the efficiency of the regular oral check in English lessons,I've implemented the following measures:

* Innovating the preparatory stage for oral check

- Preparatory work is first to determine exactly what needs to check I identify aminimum level of knowledge and skills that students have acquired in thelearning process in the classroom, in the previous lessons, thereby preparing testquestions suitably

- The questions must be precise, clear to the students so that they do notmisunderstand

- If questions are from textbooks, I redesign the requirements and exercises ordesign a similar exercise to prevent them using the answers available in the book

"Guide to learn English well" in order to cope with with teachers

- Questions for students are presented in my lesson plan and read to students or

do the small hand-out, a picture of the contents in accordance with lessons and then I ask students to read independently

* Innovating time for regular oral check

Previously, I only check students at the beginning of each lesson to have

their marks, which makes the learning atmosphere very stressful At thebeginning of the school year 2016 – 2017, I boldly apply flexible time for oralcheck during the lesson:

- Check at the beginning of class

- Check during the lesson: when I need students to recall difficult knowledge inprevious lessons to make connection with new lessons, I'm willing to givestudents 10 points to encourage learning; ask students to find friends’ mistakeand correct it (the difficult question); give marks fir students positivelyparticipating in the lessons; marks for group activities; marks for preparing theinformation I assign from previous lessons; I attach the special importance tocheck students’ knowledge in the post - teaching With the regular oral checkduring lessons, I can help them to improve the attention for the lesson, captureknowledge at the classroom and encourage them to involve the lesson

* Innovating forms and contents of questions in the regular oral check

The questions raised include essay questions and multiple choicequestions I have combined two forms of questions flexibly in the test

I often use essay questions to check short content, or sentence structureand grammatical structures

I often use multiple choice questions to examine the longer contents of theknowledge requiring students to memorize or difficult knowledge which canmake students confused

Oral check should examine multiple skills without focusing on anyspecific skills I can read the question and then ask students to answer so thatthey can practice listening and speaking skills Besides, I prepare hand-out athome, ask students to read and understand the answer, so students practicereading comprehension and speaking skills In addition, I can ask students towrite answers on the board after listening to the question, so students practicelistening and writing skills

Questions for oral check should ensure the classification and suitabilityfor students For difficult questions, I often ask students with above averagelevel and for easy question, I pose for weaker students

2.3.2 The tasks, objects and time for research

- Person giving comments:

Previously, I usually give comments, but this year, I strongly encouragestudents to participate in the evaluation process I just play the role of finalperson who gives the final score or in the case of difficult decisions After eachanswer, or exercises in which students give, I do not comment, but oftenencourage other students to give remarks Therefore, I can both assess thestudent who directly answers and evaluate the attention and knowledge of therest Accordingly, I give marks to the students directly answering questions orhomework, the students giving comments Sometimes, I ask the studentsevaluate their answers themselves

I have coordinated many forms of test and at the same time can check

many students: while I call some students to the black board, I also raisequestions for other students and then collect their scrap-books to mark

- Language and attitude for comment:

After students give answers, the teacher must give comments and marks.Teachers’ scores and remarks help students know the extent of right and wronganswers they put forward, then realize the amount of knowledge they havegrasped Moreover, the comments of teachers contribute to motivate studentlearning, so, after each answer (entirely true, partially true or not true) I still findcomments to encourage students to make final remarks

Attitudes and behaviors of teachers and students have great significance

in the oral check Teachers need to listen to the answer, monitor students’activities and on the basis of which to draw conclusions about the attainedknowledge of students Understanding the personality of students, thepedagogical delicacy and sensitiveness in many cases are the basic elements tohelp teachers assess correctly the level of knowledge and skills of studentstested

During the lesson, if students give wrong answer, teachers should notinterrupt the students Teachers must know what mistake to be correctedimmediately and what mistake should be corrected after students finish

When carrying out the oral check, the teacher should address thefollowing major problems: when a few students are called to the board, what theother students in the class have to do and how to do it Teachers call many ofthem at the same time, give different requirements in accordance with the level

of each student and then raise questions to others after the students havecompleted their tasks as follows: " Is this answer true? ""Do you agree with thatanswer?" "Is there any point wrong or lacking?" In addition to these basicquestions, the teacher can use the additional questions during the oral check.Thanks to the additional questions, teachers can imagine the quality of students’knowledge

2.3.3 The methods for implementation

I prepare for each class a notebook for recording marks I split it intothree columns: M1, M2 and M

- Column M1 used to score the students directly going to the board to answerquestions or exercises

- Column M2 used to score students sitting below to answer questions, givecomments or exercises

- Column M used to give the average marks of columns M1 and M2 colums

=> The final marks for regular oral check recorded in the teacher’s marknotebook issued by the Ministry of Education is the average of M1 and M2

For example: class 6F’ own result in regular oral check (Semester 2 - Academic

Year: 2015-2016)